Themes: Infidelity, Out For Revenge, Sibling Relationships
Main Cast: Rosalind Russell, Michael Redgrave, Raymond Massey, Katina Paxinou, Leo Genn
Release Year: 1947
Country: US
Run Time: 173 minutes
Plot
Rosalind Russell stars in this marathon adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play. The O'Neill original transposed Euripides' Agamemnon/Clytemnestra legend to post-Civil War New England. Russell plays the daughter of a returning war hero (Raymond Massey), who comes home to find his wife (Katina Paxinou) in the arms of a younger man. The wife murders the husband, leaving it to her grown children--Russell and Michael Redgrave--to exact vengeance. This morbid plotline climaxes with Russell's descent into destructive self-righteousness and her brother's retreat into insanity. Though superbly acted, Mourning Becomes Electra scared away too many moviegoers in its original three-hour running time, which was still half the length of the O'Neill play. Even when pared down to 105 minutes for general release, the film lost tons of money for the ever-beleaguered RKO Studios; to complete the film's curse, Russell lost her long-cherished (and never-won) Best Actress Oscar to Loretta Young for The Farmer's Daughter. According to Oscar legend, Russell was so certain of winning, on the heels of her husband's massive promotional campaign, that she was already out of her seat when she heard Young's name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Mourning Becomes Electra is an unwieldy, stagey, occasionally messy but ultimately fascinating and unforgettable motion picture experience. Legitimately criticized both for being too long and for cutting out too much of the mammoth Eugene O'Neill play upon which it is based, Mourning is one of those films that impresses despite its considerable flaws. Many viewers will find it stifling, for director Dudley Nichols was unable to reconceive this masterpiece in appropriately cinematic terms. Yet the source material, even in truncated form, is so strong, so full of passion and rage and overwhelming emotion, that most viewers will still find themselves taken in. Nichols is blessed with some exceptionally strong performances, especially that of Rosalind Russell, whose searing portrayal of the vengeful daughter is frighteningly powerful. If Russell occasionally pushes too hard, it is still with a conviction and skill that are remarkable to see. Matching her is Michael Redgrave, who displays an impressive facility with O'Neill's language (even if his American accent occasionally slips). Katina Paxinou is memorably nasty and Raymond Massey is solid throughout. Mourning has its slow spots, and there are some abrupt changes of tone that are offputting, but the fireworks that erupt when it is at its best more than make up for its deficiencies. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Albert S. D'Agostino - Art Director, Travis Banton - Costume Designer, Gile Steele - Costume Designer, Dudley Nichols - Director, Chandler House - Editor, Roland Gross - Editor, Richard Hageman - Composer (Music Score), Constantin Bakaleinikoff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Gordon Bau - Makeup, William Flannery - Production Designer, George Barnes - Cinematographer, Dudley Nichols - Producer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Maurice Yates - Set Designer, Russell A. Cully - Special Effects, Vernon Walker - Special Effects, A. Earl Wolcott - Sound/Sound Designer, Clem Portman - Sound/Sound Designer, Dudley Nichols - Screenwriter, Eugene O'Neill - Play Author
An Oscar upset occurred in connection with the film. All who saw it had taken it for granted that Rosalind Russell would win for her performance as Lavinia, to the point that Russell actually began to rise from her seat just before the winner's name was called. However, it was Loretta Young, and not Russell, who was named Best Actress for her performance in The Farmer's Daughter.
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